My parents remember the day President Kennedy was assasinated like it was yesterday. My grandfather, until his dying day, could recall intricate details of World War II. I remember watching the news about the Challenger explosion in my parent's living room as a small child. I remember what it was like attending my first Yankees game. Of all those events in recent history, I don't think any could compare to what happened almost tens years ago to the day. It started off like any other day, but it was a day that would change the world as we knew it. It changed the world as I knew it.
It was a cool, but, bright sunny morning in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It was 9:30am and I was beginning my second week of classes at James Madison University. It was early enough in the semester where my class work load wasn't heavy yet, and I could still enjoy the freedom of what seemed like a short extension of summer vacation. A hint of fall was creeping in the air, a lively time it was, and I soaked it in during my short walk to government class. If I had been paying any attention, I may have noticed the growing concern and confused haze taking place around me. But, on this morning, like so many others, I was oblivious.
As soon as I stepped into Dr. Hammond's 9:45am class on modern political theory, I heard the shocking news for the first time. A plane had struck one of the World Trade Center buildings. The details were shakey at best, and on a college campus news from the "outside" doesn't come in very fast. Was it an accident? What kind of plane was it? There was no facebook and no real time news access from an iphone. We only had word of mouth and Instant Messenger. The cell phones started buzzing. Wait, there were two planes? One flew into the other building, and now both towers were badly damaged. It became excedingly clear this was not an accident. The Pentagon was hit too! This was a premeditated and widespread terrorist attack on America. The students began to panic. There were family members and friends who worked in the Pentagon and the Twin Towers. Certainly there were massive casualties from the morning's events, but who, and how many? Were my friends safe? Our professor let us go and, in fact, many classes were canceled for the remainder of the day. The professors had family, we had family, and we needed to know if we were the lucky ones.
I called my parents on my way back to my dorm, and they were okay. Thank God, they were okay. But, we also had family New York. Were they accounted for? Were the attacks over, or was this the beginning of something far more grim than we could ever imagine? Was my generation going to be the one that ushered in a new world of terror and war? As I headed back to my room I found a tree on the grassy quad, dropped my back pack, and sat down. Is this the end of the world as we know it? The end of freedom? Nothing made sense, and I was shocked and greatly troubled. The "reality" of my little world was trampled with reckless abandon. The weight of it all came crashing down, as if the towers themselves were the physical embodiment of my charmed naive existence. I prayed to God. It was the only thing I could do. The sparkling green quad was now filled with college aged souls just like mine slouched in a fog of confusion and sorrow. Those who chose to simply sit still, with their minds flooded with anxieties, were in stark contrast to those visibly running and frantically communicating. I could only hear my thoughts. The sounds of my breathing and heart beat were like the soundtrack to a silent film playing out before me. Time was standing still.
After the mind numbing stillness of my conscious ramblings, I headed back to my dorm to consult with friends. I wanted to support them in their time of desparation and fear. When I walked into my room, my roomate John was praying fervently on his bed. I wanted to join him, but I simply could not sit, or stand still a moment longer. I HAD to know what was happening in our world. Surely enough small groups of students began clustering around computers and tv screens to get the latest news. America was, in fact, under heavy terrorist attack. Another plane had crashed in PA, but was that coincidence, or part of the same dark master plan? Then I saw my first glimpse of the Twin Towers. Various news stations showed the images of two planes soaring through the New York skyline and then simply being engulfed into the side of the World Trade Center. Then the planes, immediately after impact, erupted into a flashing ball of fire, smoke, and debris. The Twin Towers burned, but still stood defiantly. Who knew that the images captured on these screens would be the same ones that would haunt the world from that day forth?
For certain I knew many Americans had to have been lost on this day. I kept a watchful eye on the news, and the scrolling news feed at the bottom of the screen. Then my heart stopped. A large deafening billow of smoke and dust revealed that the south tower had collapsed. It was completely gone. Then I saw videos of the north tower. It was gone too. Movies like Deep Impact and Independance Day had eerily similar visuals as to what we were seeing. Dust clouds consumed city block after city block. New York City was in chaos. Knowing that both mighty towers had fallen, may very well have been the most heart breaking thing I have ever seen. It was an iconic sight that was horrible to witness, yet I could not stop watching the replays on tv. Thousands of people were lost. In the wake of the morning's events, there were countless stories of heroes among us. The common man and woman becoming uncommon. FDNY, NYPD, EMT. In the rubble and remains of a once towering facade, a single American flag was raised.
The morning of September 11, 2001 may have started off just like any other. But, on that same evening myself, and thousands of fellow JMU students gathered in candle light vigil I will never forget. It was a somber time of remembering, weeping, and strengthened resolve. In vunerable brokeness we became all together one.
Weeks and months after September 11, America was the most united I have ever seen it. There was solidarity with our foreign allies, and solidarity within our own government. More importantly, Americans learned how to love one another again. The United States were actually united. I write this now on eve of Sept 11, 2011. I know that in the first few years after 9/11 people paid their tributes, but as time passed by people forgot. I am writing this today, so I never forget. It is a reminder as to why I am proud to call myself an American.
Afterall, you never know when just another Tuesday morning will change the world.
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